When Words Fail
by Call Me Sarah
Summary: Carlisle and Esme are just married when they find out they can't have children. Carlisle insists they adopt, while Esme wants to try for their own. AH, normal pairings, T
1. Introduction

A/N: I hope you enjoy my story :)

I don't have a beta, so if I have any mistakes, feel free to let me know.

PS. This is just the preface; I plan on uploading more soon.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Twilight, but S. Meyer does. :)

Title: When Words Fail

Rating: T

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CHICAGO ADOPTION AGENCY, the sign read, the white letters peeling on the faded wooden sign.

"Carlisle, I don't know about this place," Her voice wavered, but she kept following the quick man, his wavy, blond hair tussled from the windy Chicago air. "Carlisle..."

"Esme, children are children no matter where we adopt them from. These kids need a home too," His voice had a sharp edge, leaving no room for argument; he wanted a child from this adoption agency. He'd been insistent they come here, but he never gave a reason. He grasped the door handle is his gloved hand. "Esme," He looked into her eyes, pleading, "please, just be open minded." He held open the door for her, placing his arm around her waist, leading her towards their future.


	2. Chapter One

"I think about the loveless fascination, " _Under the Milky Way_ by The Church

Carlisle POV

We were walking through, glancing at the children. They were each staring at us with wide eyes and grungy clothes. I gave the children a pained smile, wishing they could all come home with me. Esme was holding my arm, her eyes scrunched together, teary. I squeezed her arm and kept walking.

"So, what is your age range? We have toddlers to teenagers here, " The owner of the orphanage, Amy, asked as she led us through all of rooms.

"It doesn't matter to us, we will love any of them," I whispered, glancing at Esme's downcast eyes. She'd been pushing for us to have a baby, and we found out a month ago that she was infertile.

"Carlisle," she murmured in my ear, "don't make any rash decisions, we can still try for a baby."

I didn't answer, and looked off towards the cots the children slept on, the ratty mattresses, the lack of any life and love. I wanted to adopt. I wanted to save a child from this life.

A young man ran into the room, his suit haphazard and his blond hair greasy. "Amy!" He yelled, his face red. "Isabella's gone missing! I can't find her anywhere. I think she ran off again." Amy released a sharp breath, glaring under her lashes at the young man.

"James! Find her, while I show Dr. and Mrs. Cullen around and introduce them to some of the children."

I could tell Esme had drawn weary of Amy, and she spoke up, "No! We would like to help. This girl, Isabella, she's run off before? Where did you find her last time?"

"Oh, Mrs. Cullen, it's fine. James can find her. Why don't I introduce you to Brad--"

"No," Esme cut in, "we're going to help." Esme's voice was sharp, determined. Tension mounted, and James shifted foot to foot, looking anxious to leave. Esme was still staring straight into Amy's eyes, daring her to say no.

"She's run off twice before... we found her a an old house the first time she ran off, and her parent's graves the next time," James ground out, glancing between the two women in the room.

He pivoted on his feet and walked out of the door, calling out on his way towards the front door, "I'm going to look at the grave site. I'll call if I find her."

"Isabella, how old is she? What's her last name?" I looked towards Amy, "Why does she run off?" Amy sighed, defeated, and ran a hand through her black hair.

"She's seventeen. Her name is Isabella Swan, and I don't know why she keeps running off. But frankly, I'm getting tired of her antics. She'll be out of the program when she turns eighteen in a few months, so I don't even care why. I just have to get her back. If I can't find her within the next day, I must call the police. I'd rather not deal with them." She looked angry, and her dark face was sprinkled with creases and worry lines. Gray hair was creeping up around her hairline, and her voice was pure gravel from stress. She tore out a piece of paper from a notebook, and she scribbled for a minute and handed the paper to my wife. I glanced at the page and saw Amy and James' contact information and an address. "That's the old house we found her at the first time she ran away. I can't leave the other kids alone, so I can't go looking for her. If you find her, call me or James. I must warn you, though. She doesn't talk. Never has. I've never heard a damn word come out of her mouth," With that, Amy swiveled and went into her tattered office, slamming the door behind her.

"Carlisle," Esme's voice crackled, her strong facade wavering, "we have to find her!" I nodded, grabbed her hand and avoided the other children's looks as we left the orphanage looking a girl who'd never spoken, never left a trace.


	3. Chapter Two

Carlisle had already memorized the address, so when they couldn't find the house, he'd wondered if he had read it right. So he pulled the already worn scrap of paper out of his pants pocket and read it again.

_1203 Marsmer Rd. Chicago, Il. _

"It's not here," he breathed. Esme's eyes grew wide, and they shown with a new-found intensity. Carlisle, I have a feeling about this. Good or bad, I don't know. But we need to find Isabella." Carlisle nodded once, before turning the car back unto the highway. He pulled out his cell phone and typed in the number Amy had given him to reach James. "Hello, James, this is Carlisle Cullen, from the adoption agency. She's not at the house. It looks like it was torn down a few months ago, or so." Esme couldn't hear James from where she sat, but from the look on her husband's face, she knew that James couldn't find her either. He murmured a goodbye, and then he gently snapped his phone shut.

"Where could she be?" He said under his breath, and then did a sharp u-turn. "Carlisle, what are you doing?" He said nothing as he sped up. He drove past where the house used to be and kept going. "I've been in this part of town before. There's a park a couple blocks from here. If she lived here as a kid, I bet she's been to the park before, and with her parents. It could be her refuge." The air was stifled in the car, and it was deathly silent, other than the sound of the tires gliding across the dark asphalt.

After a few more minutes, Esme saw a faded red, yellow, and blue swing set. "This is it. I hope she's here," Carlisle said quickly as he unbuckled and climbed out of his black Mercedes. He didn't wait for Esme to catch up as he dodged the few children playing in the park. In the distance, he saw a pale, dark haired girl curled up on an old, withered park bench. Without thinking he ran to her. He kneeled in front of her. "Hi," he waited for her to notice him before he continued, "I'm pretty sure you're Isabella Swan, right?" She sat up, and closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from running down her face. She nodded twice. "I know you don't really like speaking, and that's okay, Honey. I just want to take you back to the adoption agency."

Her eyes snapped open and they were dark and cold. The steely eyes spoke louder than any words. She didn't ever want to go back. Carlisle sat back on his heels and sighed. Esme had finally found where he'd run off to, and she sat beside Isabella. "Is this her, Carlisle?" She whispered. Isabella didn't turn to look at Esme. Instead, she kept staring into Carlisle's eyes. He didn't look up when he answered, "Yes, but she doesn't want to go back. I don't know what happened to her, Esme, but I don't think she needs to be around those people anymore. Esme leaned over and carefully pulled Isabella into her arms. "It'll be okay. Words may fail you, but you wear your heart on your sleeve, honey. And it's screaming right now." Esme pulled back and stood. She walked over to a tree a few yards away. She beckoned Carlisle over. "Carlisle, what do you want to do? She's almost eighteen. She's only a few years younger than us. How could we raise a girl almost our age, one who doesn't speak? I thought you wanted babies. I thought we wanted babies."


End file.
